Vehicle body and hoist structure



`Ham. 14,1936. c. G. ElsENBERG, JR 2,027,421.

VEHICLE BODY AND HOIST 4STRUCTURE Frileduune 11, 1934 4 sheets-sheet 1 Jan. 14, 1936. c. G. EISENBERG, JR 2,027,421

i VEHICLE BODY AND HOIST STRUCTURE Filed June i1, 1954 4 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORNEY.

Jamo M9 w36. c. G. EISENBERG, JR

VEHICLE BODY AND HOIST STRUCTURE 4 Sheets--Sheet 5 Filed June 11, 1934 IN VENTOR.

4,@ M NT,

ATTORNEY Jan.. 14, 1936.a Q G EISENBERG, JR 2,027,421

VEHICLE BODY AND HOIST STRUCTURE Filed June ll, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. lll, 1936 "iiozmzi A vEmcLE Boor nors'r sraUo'rUaE Charles G. Eisenberg, Jr., Wauwatosa, Wis., assignor to The Heil Co., Milwaukee,' Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application June 11, 1934, Serial No. 730,024

11 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to an improved system oi handling and transporting materials, and relates more specifically to an im proved body structure for trucks or the like, and

to improved mechanism for elevating, tilting and lowering the body structure.

Generally defined, an object oi the invention is to provide an improved vehicle body and manipulating structure therefor, which is simple and durable in construction and which is moreover highly exible and effective in use.

In the handling and transportation of materials in bulk with the aid ol trucks or similar vehicles, it is frequently necessary with the ordinary l5 type oi?J truck having the body permanently attached thereto, to maintain the relatively expensive vehicle inactive whlle thebody is being loaded and unloaded. In some industries, the quantity of material being handled makes it nec- `20 essary with this prior method, to have a large number of costly trucks available, Aprimarily because of such necessary-inactivity ol the vehicle during loading andunloading. It is also irequently desired to have the truck equipped with l mechanism such asfa hydraulic hoist i'ortipplng the carrier body so as to discharge the contents by dumping, and when such dumping mechanism is provided, the body is 4ordinarily permanently attached to the vehicle and necessitates maintaining the same inactive at least while the body is being loaded.

It is a more speciiic object of the present invention to provide an improved detachable dump body structure for'vehicles such as trucks, where- 3 in the body may be entirely removed from its transporting truck, during loading, so that a single truck may be utilized to serve as a transferring and dumping medium for a number of carrier bodies'without necessarily maintaining the vehicle idle during loading of the several individual bodies'.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved truck body, and improved mechanism for positioning the body upon and 45 for removing the same from the chassis of a truck or other vehicle.

, A further specific object of the invention is to provide improved hoisting and tilting mechanism for material transporting bodies or the like, which UO may be readily manipulated to eiect either raising, dumping or lowering of the carrier. g

Still another spcciiic object of the' invention is to provide an improved hydraulic hoist system for dump trucks or the like, which may be utilized to cooperate with a group of carrier bodies in a manner whereby maximum ,elilciency is obta'inable from the trucking unit.

' These and ,other objects and, advantagesoi,.the

invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A clear conception ofl the construction and mode of utilizing the improved body and hoist structures constituting the present improvement, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanying vand. forming a part of this specirlcation 5 in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views:

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic side view of the rear end of a truck having one of the improved hoisting systems` applied thereto, and 10 showing the same about to elevate one of the improved body structures from the ground;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the truck, hoist and body assemblage, showing the .body lifted vertically from the ground and being borne by the 15 truck;

Fig. 3 is another similar view of the truck, hoist and body assemblage, showing the body in the act offbeing tilted, for end dumping. purposes;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top view of the hydraulic 2.0 hoisting mechanisms which aremounted upon the rear end of the truck chassis;

Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged central vertical longitudinal section, through the hoisting mechanisms, taken along the linel 5-5 of Fig. 4; 25

Fig. 6 is a further enlarged section through the control valves of the hoisting system, showing the valves set for straight vertical lifting of the body;

Fig'. 7 is a similarly enlarged section through the control valves of the hoisting system, show- 30 ing the same set for direct lowering of the entire body'.

Fig. 8 is a likewise enlarged section through the control valves oi the system, showing the same set for upward tilting or the body; and l A Fig. 9 is a similar section through the control valves, showing the same set for downward return of the body from tilted position.

, While the invention has been shown and described herein as being applied to a specific type 40 of trucking system wherein the carrier bodies are adapted to be elevated, lowered, and tilted by means oi hydraulic servo-motors or hoists, it is not intended to restrict the scope by such speciiic embodiment, since some fof the novel-features are :obviously more generally applicable.

Referring to. Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the truck^which is of the ordinary'motor propelled type, comprises generally a chassis I0 supported upon rear .wheels I I in the usual manner, the propelling motor being mounted upon the front of the chassis I0 and being controllable from a drivers cab which terminates at the dot- -'anddash line I2. Molmted` upon the chassis I0 rearwardly oi the cab line I2, is a set of elevating and lowering hoists I3, I4, these'hoists being supported by cross-braces rigidly attached to lthe hassis. III. The .iront holst I3 islocated directly in' back of the cab vand is disposed higher than the rear hoist I4 of the set, for clearance pur- 00 poses; and the pistons and rods vof these hoists are simultaneously movable in the same direction, and are connected respecively to the front and rear portions of a vertically movable horizontally disposed support I5, by means of yokes I8, I1. A body supporting and tilting frame I5 is disposed above and has its rear end pivotally attached to the movable support I5, by means of a pivot pin I3; and this frame I3 which is normally movable with the' support I5, is also tiltable relative thereto, by means of another hoist 25 the cylinder of which is pivotally suspended from the support I5 by means of trunnions 2|. The piston rod 22 of the tilting hoist 23, is pivotally connected to a cross-piece 23 securedA to the frame I8, and this frame also has a transverse end stop 24, both of these elements being cooperable with a special body 25 adapted to rest loosely upon the frame structure.

There may be any desired number of lsimilar bodies 25, these being interchangeably cooperable with the supporting frame structure just described. Each of the bodies 25 comprises an upper receptacle having a spouted end 28, and four corner supports for legs 21 adapted to rest directly upon the ground and to maintain the body spaced from the ground line. 'Ihe legs 21 are so spaced, and are of sufficient height to permit the entire rear end of the truck, including the wheels I I, to be inserted beneath the body proper, when the main support I5 and frame I8 have been lowered as far as possible. After the frame I8 hasv been positioned beneath the body, the hoists I3, I4 may be operated to elevate the frame I8 into supporting engagement with the lower beams 28 of the body 25 as shown in Fig. 1,.

and when the frame I8 has been thus positioned, the stop 24 is `in operative engagement with the rear beam 23, while the cross-piece 23 is in substantial contact with the medial lower portion of the body 25. By subsequently manipulating the hoisting mechanisms in a manner to be later described, the body 25 may be elevated as shown in Fig, 2, and tilted for end dumping as shown in Fig. 3, without danger of having the body structure either interfere with the advancing movement of the truck, or become displaced upon its supporting frame I8. The body 25 which merely rests by gravity upon the frame I8 and is not positively connected thereto, may at any time be released from the truck, by merely lowering the support I5 and fr'ame I8 sufllciently so that the stop 24 and cross-piece 23 will clearthe beams 28 while the legs 21 are resting uporrthe ground and the truck is advanced forwardly from beneath the body structure.

The improved hoisting mechanisms, which are of the hydraulic or fluid pressure actuated types, are shown in detail in Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive. As previously indicatedL the cylinders of the elevating and lowering hoists I3, I4 are fixedly supported by the chassis I and these hoists coact with the main support I through front and rear -yokes I8, I1. The yoke I5 connects the front end of the support I5 with the upper end o1' the front hoist piston rod 23 the lower end of which carries'a piston 30, and has therein a small bypass controlled by a check valve 3I. The yoke I 1 connects the rear portion of the support I5 with the upper end'of the rear hoist piston rod 32 the lower end of which carries a piston 33, and has therein a similar by-pass controlled by a check valve 34. The displacement chamber below thepiston 30 of the front hoist I3 is communicable with a pump 35 through a port 35 formed in a valve casing 31, as shown in Fig. 5; and the displacement chamber above this piston 33 is constantly in open communication with the displacement chamber below the piston 33 of the rear hoist I4 through a pipe 38. The displacement chamber above the rear hoist piston 33 at all times communicateswith an auxiliary reservoir 33 which is communicable with the suction side of the pump 35 through a pipe 43 and a port 4 I formed in the casing 31, and all of these chambers, pipes 38, 40, ports 33, 4I, and at least a portion of the reservoir 38, are normally constantly filled with fluid such as oil. While Fig. 5 purports to be a central longitudinal section through the hoisting mechanisms, and the pipe 45 in fact lies in front of the plane of the section as indicated in Fig. 4, this pipe 40 has been shown in Fig. 5 as well as in Fig. 4, in order to more clearly illustrate the connections between the front and rear hoists i3, I4 and the manner in which these hoists are associated with the valve casing 31.

The pump 35 is of the gear type adapted to be driven in a well-known manner, by the propelling motor `of the truck; and has a suction port in open communication with a port 42 formed in the casing 31,v and a discharge port communicable past a discharge valve 43 with a port 44 formed in the casing 31. 'I'he ports 42, 44 are directly connectabie by means of a manually operable by-pass valve 45, and are also automatically `communicable either in emergency cases, or for unloading when the pump 35 is maintained in operation after the support I5 has been fully elevated, past an unloading valve 45. The casing 31 is also provided with ports 41, 43, the function of which will be subsequently explained, and a special manually operable control valve 49 is adapted to connect certain of the casing ports in order vto control the operation of the hoisting .mechanisms When the special control valve,"

is set as shown' in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the port 35 is in open communication with the pump discharge through the port 44, and the pump suction is in open communication with the oil supply reservoir 33 through the pipe 48 and the intercommunicating ports 4I, 42. With the by-pass valve 45 set as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, there is no free or unrestrained communication between the ports 42, 44; but when this valve 45 is adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 7, the ports 42, 44 are in open communication with each other.

As previously indicated, the mechanism for tilting the frame I3 to dump the contents from the body 25, comprises a single holst 2l having a piston rod 422 pivotally connected to a crossbeam 23 which is secured to the frame vI8 forwardly of its pivot I 8. The lower end of the piston rod 22 carries a piston and is embraced by a coil buier spring 5I as shown in Fig. 5, this spring 5I serving to sta-rt the piston 50 and rod 22 on its downward journey after a body 25 has beenemptied. 'I'he lower displacement chamber of the hoist 20 communicates through a pipe 52, tube 53 and pipe 54 with the casing port 4I, whereas the upper displacement chamber of this hoist 28 is simultaneously communicable through a pipe 55, tube 55 and pipe 51 with the casing port 41, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When the control valve 49 is adjusted to the position shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the casing port 48 is brought into communication with the discharge port 44 of the pump 35, and the port 41 is simultaneously connected to the pump suction port 42, while the ports 38, 4I are cut out of communication with aman-1.21

During the normal use of the improved apparatus the single truck may be utilized for the purpose of transferring and dumping any number of the bodies 25, so that several of these bodies may be loaded at the same time that the truck is transferring and dumping one of them. The

`mode of applying the body to the truck, has

been previously generally described and when such application of a body 25 tothe truck is taking place, the valve 49 is positioned as shown in Figs. 6 and '1 andthe valve 45 is positioned as shown in Fig. 6. Withthe valves`45, 49 positioned as shown in Fig. 6, operation of the pump 35 will cause the same to withdraw oil from the space above the piston 33 and from the reservoir 39'through the pipe 49, port 4I, valve 49, and port-42. The oil after passing through the pump 35 is delivered' past the discharge valve 43 and through the port 44, valve 49 and port 36 .to the displacement chamber beneath the piston 39 of the hoist I3, thus causing the piston to rise. The rising4 piston 30 forces the oil from the upper displacement chamber of the hoist I3 through the pipe 38 into the lower displacement chamber of the hoist I4, 'thus causing the piston 33 vto simultaneously rise with the piston 30. The piston rods 29, 32 of the hoists I3, I4 therefore elevate the main support I5, the vframe I8, and the body 25 resting upon'this frame, in a vertical direction and this elevation continues until the pistons 30, 33 reach the upper limits of travel. It

the operation ofthe pump continues after complete elevation of ,the pistons has thusl been effected, and there is excess oil available for the pump 35, the unloading valve 4B will function to cut oir the supply of oil from the reservoir 39 and to relieve the pump from excess pressure. If the pump f35 is stopped after complete elevation of the hoists I3, I4- has been effected, these hoists will remain in elevated condition and may be locked in such position by adjusting the valve 49 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 8. x

Lowering of the hoists I3, I4 may be conveniently eiected without stopping the operation of the pump 35, by merely adjusting the by-pass valve to the position shown in Fig. 7. With the by-pass valve thus adjusted, the oil under pressure from the displacement chamber oi' the hoist i3 may escape through the port 36, vvalve t9 port 44, and valve 45, to the suction port 42, from whence the oil may travel through the valve tt, port ti, and pipe it, to the reservoir 39. The oil from beneath the piston 33 of the hoist it will simultaneously escape through the pipe tuto the displacement chamber above the piston hthus causing the Weight of the support I5, frame Iii, and body 25, to move the pistons ttl, 33 downwardly until they reach the bottoms of their respective cylinders. Il the pump 35 is in operation during such lowering of the hoists i5, it, the oil discharged past the valve it merely circulates through the valve -45 and does not interfere with. the displacement of oil from the hoist cylinders. The check valves 3i, 3i merely func- 5Ii, pipe 5l, port 41, valve 49, and port 42. The

` ly upon the frame i9 and is prevented from shifttion to automatically maintain sufficient quantities of voil in the several displacement chambers, and the use of the reservoir 39 is primarily necessitated by the fact that the piston rods of the hoists I3, I4 reduce the volumes of the upper dis- 5 placement chambers of these hoists.

The tilting mechanism for the frame I8 and body 25 is operable by the same pump 35 which elevates the body support. In order to effect tilting of the frame I8, the valve 49 may be adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 8. while the valve 45 is closed. The pump 35 will then withdraw oil from the displacement chamber above the piston 59 of the hoist 20 through the pipe 55, tube oil thus withdrawn from above the piston 50 will be forced by the pump past the valve 43 through the port 44, valve 49, port 41, pipe 54, tube 53, and pipe 52 to the displacement chamber beneath the piston 59, thus causing the piston rod 22 to move the cross-beam 23 upwardlyfand to tilt the frame I8 about its pivot I9. As the piston 50 reaches Vthe upper extremity of .its stroke, the spring 5I engages the cylinder head of the hoist 20 and becomes compressed. When the piston 59 has reached itsupper limit, continued operation of the pump 35 will again result in the unloading action previously described, and the body 25 will then be tilted to its extreme position as illustrated in Fig. 3.

In order to return the frame I9 andbody 5 to `-normal position, it is necessary only to adjust the valve 45 to the position shown in Fig. 9, without manipulating the valve 49. When such adjustment of the valve 45 is made, the spring 5I will immediately become effective to force the piston 50 downwardly to a suficient extent that the oil from beneath this piston' may return to the displacement chamber above the piston through the ports 58. The weight of the frame 40 I3 and body 25 will subsequently be sufficient to move the piston 50 downwardly and to displace the oil beneath this piston through the. pipe 52, tube 53, pipe 54, port 48, valve 49, port 44, and valve 45, to the ports and pipes com-"45 municating with the upper displacement chamber of the hoist 20.

As previously indicated. the check valve 59 will facilitate this return of the oil during lowering of the hoist 2l, andthe lowering operation 60 .continues until the frame I8 has reached the v position illustrated in Fig. 5.

From the foregoing description of the operation of the improved hoisting structure, 'it will be apparent that a mere adiustment of the control valve 49 permits interchangeable elevation and lowering, or tilting of a body 25 supported by the mechanism, at the will of the operator. The same pump 35 whichmay be driven from the propelling motor of the vehicle, serves both 6o of these purposes, in spite of the fact that the ,tilting may be eected independently of the elevating, and vice versa. During the hoisting and tilting of the body 25, this body merely rests looseing relative thereto by the stop tl. The valves d5, 49 control each and every operation of the `hoisting mechanism, and are readily accessible -for manipulating.

The improved mechanisms have proven highly successful in actual commercial operation, and While a single control valve 49 has been shown in the present specific embodiment, it will be apparent that separate control valves may be utilized for the elevating and tilting hoistingmechanisms. With the present improvement, a single truck having the improved hoisting mechanisms associated therewith, may be utilized to handle numerous bodies 25 with minimum loss of time, and if it is not desired to utilize the tilting mechanism for dumping purposes, the apparatus may readily be utilized only for the purpose of transferring bodies 25 from one locality to another.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

i It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent:-

1. In combination. a vehicle, a vertically movable support carried by said vehiclepa set of hoists Aspaced apart longitudinally of the vehicle for elevating said support, the front hoist of said set being disposed higher than the rear hoist, a tiltable frame carried by said support, a tilting hoist for said frame carried by and movable with said support, a carrier body detachably mountable upon said frame, and common power means for actuating all of said hoists.

2. In combination, a vehicle, a vertically movable support carried by said vehicle, a set of hoists spaced apart longitudinally of the vehicle for elevating said support, the front hoist of said set being disposed higher than the rear hoist, a

tiltable frame carried by said support, a tilting hoist for said frame carried by and movable with said support, and a carrier body detachably mountable upon said frame.

3. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and rear wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movable support carried by said chassis, a set of hoists spaced apart longitudinally of the vehicle for elevating said support, one 6i said hoists being disposed forwardly of said rear wheels and the other being located rearwardly thereof, a tiltable frame carried by and swingable relative to said support, a tilting hoist for said frame carried by and movable with `said support, and a carrier body detachably mountable upon said frame.

4. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and rear wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movable support carried by said chassis, a set of hoists spaced apart longitudinally of the vehicle for elevating said support,one of said hoists being disposed forwardly of said rear wheels and above the chassis and the other being located rearwardly of said wheels and extending partially below the chassis, a tiltable frame carried by and swingable relative to said support about a pivot located rearwardly of said rear hoist, a tilting hoist for said frame carried by and movable with said support, and a carrier body detachably mountable upon said frame.

5. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and rear wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movable support carried by said chassis, a pair of vertically disposed hoists mounted upon said chassis and spaced apart longitudinally thereof for elevating said support, one of said hoists being disposed above said chassis forwardly of said rear wheels and the other being located within and partially below s aid chassis rearwardly of said wheels, a tiltable frame carried by and swingable relative to said support, an inclined tilting hoist for said frame carriedy by and movable with said support, a carrier body de-f tachably mountable upon said frame, and common power means for actuating all of said hoists,-

6. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and a rear axle and wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movabley support disposed above said chassis adiacent'to said wheels, a pair of hydraulic hoists spaced apart longitudinally of 5 the vehicle for elevating said support, the front hoist being disposed above said chassis forwardly of said axle and support and the rear hoist being located beneath said support partially below said chassisand rearwardly of said axle, a tiltl0 able frame carried by and swingable relative to said support about a rear end pivot, an inclined hydraulic hoist carried by said support for tilting said frame, and a carrier body detachably mountable upon said frame. 15

7.-In,combination, a vehicle having a chassis and a rear axle and wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movable support disposed above said chassis between said wheels, a pair of hydraulic hoists spacedapart longitudinally of the chassis for elevating said Support. the front hoist being disposed above said chassis forwardly oi said axle and the rear hoist being located partially below said chassis rearwardly of said axle, a tiltable frame carried by said support, a hydraulic hoist carried by said support for tilting said frame, and a carrier body detachably mounted upon said frame.

8. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and a rear axle and wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movable support disposed above said chassis between said wheels, a pair of hydraulic hoists spaced apart longitudinally of the chassis for elevating said support, the front hoist being disposed above said chassis forwardly of said axle and the rear hoist being located partially below said chassis rearwardly of said axle, a tiltable frame carried by and swingable relative to said support, and an inclined hydraulic hoist carried by said support for tilting 0 said frame. l

9. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and a` rear axle and wheels associated therewith, an upwardly movable support disposed above said chassis adjacent to said wheels, a pair of 5 vertical hydraulic hoists spaced apart longitudinally of the vehicle for elevating said support, the front hoist beingdisposed above said chassis forwardly of said axle and the rear hoist being located partially below said chassis rearwardly of said axle, and a tiltable frame carried by and swingable relative to said support.

10. In combination, a vehicle having a chas- 'sis and a rear axle and wheels associated therewith, -an upwardly movable support disposed above said chassis adjacent to said wheels, and

a pair of vertical vhydraulic hoists space d apart longitudinally of the vehicley for elevating said support, the front hoist being disposed above said chassis forwardly of said axle and support and the rear hoist being located beneath said support partially below said chassis and rearwardly of said axle.

1l. In combination, a vehicle having a chassis and a rear axle associated therewith, an up- 05 wardly movable support disposed above said chassis adjacent to said axle, and a pair of hydraulic hoists mounted upon and spaced apart longitudinally of said chassis for elevating said support, the front hoist being disposed entirely 7o yabove said chassis forwardly of said axle and CHARLES G. EISENBERG, J R. fl 

